Studies Show Testosterone Offers Little Benefits To Aging Men (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: In decades of research, scientists have found only one medical condition that's clearly and effectively treated with testosterone supplements: pathological hypogonadism -- that's low testosterone levels due to disease of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, or testes. In a series of placebo-controlled, randomized trials, researchers tracked the effect of testosterone on the cognition, bone health, anemia, and cardiovascular health of 788 men for a year. All the men were aged 65 or older and had low testosterone levels that couldn't be explained by anything other than age. The results, reported Tuesday in JAMA and JAMA Internal Medicine, offer mixed results. Among the 493 in the trial who also had age-related memory declines, testosterone didn't have any effect on memory or cognitive abilities. In the study, 247 got testosterone and 246 got a placebo. But for cardiovascular health, there was an effect -- a bad one. Over the year, plaque buildup in the coronary artery -- which is a risk factor for heart disease -- increased in 73 men on testosterone compared with 65 on placebo. However, other studies have found mixed results on this. Longer, bigger trials will be needed to sort out the risks. In the anemia study, testosterone did seem to improve iron levels in men with mild anemia. The bone health study also showed that testosterone could improve bone density. However, it's unclear if those benefits outweigh the possible cardiovascular risks. And other drugs may be more effective at treating anemia and improving bone mass than testosterone.

Comments

How about muscles and virility?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know - the reasons people actually have for taking testosterone. Nobody takes testosterone for anemia or 'bone health'. It is always about muscle & sex.

Re:How about muscles and virility?

[Cytotoxic]

This was exactly my first impression.

And these are not easily dismissed reasons. Muscle mass is important as you move into your 70's and 80's for more than vanity.

I wish our obsession with sports didn't taint this area so much. So there's a couple of thousand people who would like to take steroids and hormones to enhance their chances in athletics at the top level.... big deal. There are tens of million of people who would love to have a safe and effective way to convert a couple of pounds of fat into muscle and improve the resiliency of their tendons and ligaments.

When I was in grad school back around 1990 there was a study on genetically obese rabbits that showed that doses of angesterone had a dramatic effect on the male rabbits. They didn't lose weight, but they converted fat to muscle without exercise. And they had a reduction in heart and coronary disease. And they had an increase in libido. All with small doses of angesterone.

Now, I don't know where that led. But how many people would line up for a pill or shot that would convert fat to muscle without exercise, make your heart healthier and increase your sex drive? But it gets squashed as an area of medicine because of fears of doping in sports.

Re:How about muscles and virility?

[BarbaraHudson]

We talk about osteoporosis in women, where 34% of all women will at one point in their lives break a hip, but in men it''s far worse - 56%. And 1 out of 10 people who fractures their hip never goes home. If taking a pill can avoid spending the rest of your life in long-term care, it's probably worth the risks. Quality of life is paramount.

The easy way to find out is get a bone density scan on your spine and femur. (the ones that just do the forearm or heal are bs in comparison). It will alert you to osteopenia as well as osteoporosis.

More studies are needed because the effects of hormones can vary greatly depending on the individual, as well as at what point in their life they're at. Identifying those who would benefit while ruling out those at greatest risk (or better yet, treating them like adults and letting them make the decision after being given all the information - you know, "informed consent", rather than "no, we've decided it's too risky for you, take our word for it").

waaat

[TimothyHollins]

Over the year, plaque buildup in the coronary artery -- which is a risk factor for heart disease -- increased in 73 men on testosterone compared with 65 on placebo. However, other studies have found mixed results on this

What are you smoking? 73 against 65 IS a mixed result!

73/247 against 65/246 is 29% against 26%. An increased risk of 11% in a small sample is well within bounds of expected variance.

my trophy husband doesn't need any

[Anonymous Coward]

My trophy husband doesn't need any testosterone, I only married him for his fat wallet, and I fuck young guys I meet at the gym.

Re:my trophy husband doesn't need any

[Anonymous Coward]

Mom?

Testosterone and Prostate Cancer

[lobiusmoop]

Interesting recent news article about treating prostate cancer by 'cycling' testosterone levels